July 26 - Aug 1, 2010

Monday evening I received a text asking for prayer for a young lady, Liz, who had just committed suicide and was on life support. I didn't know this girl, but she had just graduated from our churches high school. I started praying and passed the msg. along. Tuesday morning, I went to Nursing Home ministry and then I met with a couple of ladies from church (Kathleen and Lucia) and we went to the hospital to pray for this girl and her family. When we arrived, they told us that the mother was in the bed with her saying her goodbyes, and that they were about to take her off of life support and harvest her organs. The family had all been called in. Kathleen, Lucia and I started praying for Liz. We prayed life into her. We prayed that she would wake up. Well, to be honest I was a little hesitant to pray this, and was praying very quietly so that the family would not hear and think we were crazy. Kathleen and Lucia's faith was a lot stronger than mine, but I continued to agree with them, because I kept remembering the message our pastor had just preached about how believers were supposed to be going about doing good and healing the sick, and then sharing the message of the gospel (Luke 10:9). Kathleen shared some scripture and we prayed with one of the family members in the chapel, who I know is not a believer, so I thank God for this opportunity. We left the hospital, but stayed in the parking lot praying for awhile. (The thought came to me, as we prayed there in the parking lot that if Christians were standing on every street corner of the city praying, the world would not be able to ignore the fact that the Church is in the world and alive and there for them.) I went home and told my family that she had passed away. Wed. night in service a man stood up and said that when they took the life support off of her Tues. morning, she started breathing on her own. Wow, was I surprised! Maybe God did hear and answer our prayers! It was then reported that Wed. afternoon she took a turn for the worse again. Wed evening. a group of teens got together and had a prayer vigil for her. As they prayed, she started getting better again! Well, sadly, Thursday afternoon, she passed away. But it makes me think and wonder. There was obviously a battle going on for her life. And, if the church of God had prayed continuously as seriously as they did during those times of praying together, would she still be alive? Only God knows. But, through this , my faith has increased, because I really feel like God heard our prayers and answered. Maybe, during that time of breathing on her own, she had a chance to cry out to God in repentance and died in peace and not in despair.